NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 vs NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score in the database?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 records an average benchmark score of 56083, which is significantly higher than the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation's 45972. The RTX 5080 also sits at the 87th percentile among all GPUs, compared to the 85th percentile for the RTX 5880 Ada.

Q: How does the RTX 5880 Ada Generation compare to its closest rival in the database?

A: The RTX 5880 Ada Generation's average score of 45972 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA RTX A2000, which averages 46043, a delta of only -0.2%. It also sits 0.8% ahead of the Intel Arc A730M and 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT.

Q: Which card wins in DirectX 12 performance?

A: The GeForce RTX 5080 dominates in the Passmark DirectX 12 test, scoring 151 versus 70 for the RTX 5880 Ada Generation, a commanding 115.7% advantage.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX 5880 Ada Generation offers 48 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus with 864.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the RTX 5080 provides 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus with higher bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s.

Q: In which benchmark does the RTX 5880 Ada Generation outperform the RTX 5080?

A: The RTX 5880 Ada Generation wins in the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 326898, compared to 235901 for the RTX 5080, a margin of 27.8%.

Q: What is the transistor count difference between these two architectures?

A: The RTX 5880 Ada Generation uses the AD102 chip with 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, while the RTX 5080 uses the GB203 chip with 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent distinct architectural generations from NVIDIA. The GeForce RTX 5080 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB203 chip, while the RTX 5880 Ada Generation uses the older Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD102 chip. Both are manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the physical design differs substantially.

The AD102 chip in the RTX 5880 Ada Generation is considerably larger, with a die size of 609 mm² and a transistor count of 76,300 million. The GB203 chip in the RTX 5080 measures 378 mm² with 45,600 million transistors. Interestingly, the transistor density is similar: 125.3M per mm² for the RTX 5880 Ada versus 120.6M per mm² for the RTX 5080, meaning the larger die of the Ada card is primarily responsible for its higher transistor count.

The RTX 5880 Ada Generation carries more raw compute resources: 14080 shading units, 440 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 110 RT cores, and 440 tensor cores. The RTX 5080 counters with 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 84 RT cores, and 336 tensor cores. Despite having fewer units, the RTX 5080 achieves a much higher base clock of 2295 MHz versus 975 MHz for the RTX 5880 Ada, and a boost clock of 2617 MHz versus 2460 MHz.

Memory architecture differs fundamentally. The RTX 5080 uses 16 GB of GDDR7 memory clocked at 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective) on a 256-bit bus, producing 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 5880 Ada Generation uses 48 GB of GDDR6 memory at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) on a wider 384-bit bus, but delivers slightly lower bandwidth at 864.0 GB/s. The threefold difference in capacity is the defining feature of the workstation-oriented card.

The bus interface also differs: the RTX 5080 uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the RTX 5880 Ada Generation uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs differ as well, with the RTX 5080 offering 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b, while the RTX 5880 Ada Generation provides 4x DisplayPort 1.4a. Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Power requirements diverge notably. The RTX 5080 has a TDP of 360 W with a suggested PSU of 750 W, while the RTX 5880 Ada Generation draws 285 W with a suggested PSU of 600 W. Both use a dual-slot design with a single 16-pin power connector.

Head-to-Head Benchmark

The head-to-head results heavily favor the RTX 5080 in almost every test category except OpenCL compute performance. Out of eight recorded benchmarks, the RTX 5080 wins seven, with the RTX 5880 Ada Generation taking a single victory.

The largest win for the RTX 5080 comes in the Passmark DirectX 12 test, where it scores 151 against 70 for the RTX 5880 Ada, a delta of 115.7%. This is followed by the Passmark G2D test, where the RTX 5080 scores 1415 versus 777, a 82.1% advantage. In the Passmark GPU Compute test, the RTX 5080 scores 21789 versus 14208, leading by 53.4%. The Passmark G3D test shows the RTX 5080 at 36565 versus 25096, a 45.7% margin. The DirectX 11 test yields 324 for the RTX 5080 versus 228, a 42.1% lead. Even in DirectX 10, the RTX 5080 leads with 208 versus 167, a 24.6% margin, and in DirectX 9 it posts 389 versus 335, a 16.1% lead.

The RTX 5880 Ada Generation's sole win is in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 326898 versus 235901 for the RTX 5080, a 27.8% advantage. This result aligns with the RTX 5080's relative weakness in raw compute workloads, despite its overall benchmark superiority.

When placed in the broader context of the database, the RTX 5080's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE at 57367 (2.2% ahead of the RTX 5080), the AMD Radeon 8060S at 55757 (0.6% behind), and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55698 (0.7% behind). The RTX 5880 Ada Generation's nearest rivals are much lower-scoring cards, such as the NVIDIA RTX A2000 at 46043 and the Intel Arc A730M at 45592, reflecting its lower overall position in the database.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The RTX 5080 uses the GB203 chip on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, while the RTX 5880 Ada Generation uses the AD102 chip on Ada Lovelace. The process node is identical at 5 nm from TSMC, but the die sizes diverge sharply: 378 mm² versus 609 mm², with transistor counts of 45,600 million versus 76,300 million.

Clock speeds show a substantial difference. The RTX 5080 has a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2617 MHz, while the RTX 5880 Ada Generation runs at 975 MHz base and 2460 MHz boost. Memory clocks also differ: 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective) for the RTX 5080 versus 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) for the RTX 5880 Ada.

Memory capacity and type are major differentiators. The RTX 5080 offers 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5880 Ada Generation offers 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 864.0 GB/s bandwidth. The wider bus on the Ada card does not compensate for the lower memory speed.

Compute resources favor the RTX 5880 Ada Generation: 14080 shading units, 440 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 110 RT cores, and 440 tensor cores, versus 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 84 RT cores, and 336 tensor cores for the RTX 5080. Pixel rate is 433.0 GPixel/s for the Ada card versus 293.1 GPixel/s for the RTX 5080, and texture rate is 1,082.4 GTexel/s versus 879.3 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 performance are both 69.27 TFLOPS for the Ada card versus 56.28 TFLOPS for the RTX 5080.

Power and physical specifications also differ. The RTX 5080 has a TDP of 360 W and a suggested PSU of 750 W, while the RTX 5880 Ada Generation draws 285 W with a suggested PSU of 600 W. The RTX 5080 is longer and taller: 304 mm by 137 mm by 40 mm, versus 267 mm by 112 mm for the Ada card. The RTX 5080 uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the RTX 5880 Ada Generation uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs differ as noted, and the release dates are distinct: the RTX 5080 launched January 29, 2025, while the RTX 5880 Ada Generation launched January 4, 2024. The RTX 5080 has a launch MSRP of 999 USD.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5080 is the clear winner for DirectX-based gaming and general graphics workloads. Its 115.7% lead in DirectX 12, 42.1% lead in DirectX 11, 24.6% lead in DirectX 10, and 16.1% lead in DirectX 9 make it the stronger choice for any application that relies on Microsoft's graphics APIs. The 45.7% advantage in Passmark G3D further reinforces this positioning. The RTX 5080 also excels in 2D performance, with an 82.1% margin in the G2D test, and in compute tasks as measured by Passmark GPU Compute, where it leads by 53.4%.

The RTX 5080's higher boost clock of 2617 MHz and modern Blackwell 2.0 architecture appear to offset its lower core count relative to the RTX 5880 Ada Generation. For users prioritizing frame rates in DirectX titles or general graphics throughput, the recorded data clearly favors the RTX 5080.

The RTX 5880 Ada Generation wins decisively in OpenCL compute performance, posting a 27.8% higher score in the Geekbench OpenCL test. This, combined with its 48 GB memory capacity, positions it as the better option for workloads that leverage OpenCL for compute acceleration and require large memory footprints. The card's 384-bit memory bus and 176 ROPs also provide higher pixel throughput at 433.0 GPixel/s, which may benefit certain rendering tasks.

The RTX 5880 Ada Generation also offers advantages in power efficiency, with a 285 W TDP versus 360 W for the RTX 5080, and a lower suggested PSU rating of 600 W versus 750 W. For environments where power draw is a constraint, the Ada card is the more conservative choice.

In summary, the RTX 5080 is the superior card for DirectX gaming and general graphics, while the RTX 5880 Ada Generation is the better fit for OpenCL compute workloads and scenarios requiring massive memory capacity. The RTX 5880 Ada Generation's nearest rivals in the database are all lower-scoring cards, indicating that within the database, its overall performance tier sits below the RTX 5080.